CW's Arrow to End After 10-Episode 8th Season This Fall

It's the end of an era. The CW plans on wrapping the series this Fall in a shortened 8th season. More within...

8 years ago, television was in a drastically different place. The world was talking about shows like the emerging Game of Thrones, Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, and AMC's mind-blowing lineup of Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad, to name a few. However, there were no shows based on comic book superheroes. It wasn't until 2012, when The CW took a chance on two executive producers in Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, that superheroes finally began appearing on the small screen, starting with Arrow, based off of DC Comics' Green Arrow.

With a captivating story of revenge led by then-unknown star Stephen Amell, Arrow's success came almost immediately. Shortly thereafter, the success of Arrow spawned several other DC Comics hero shows with The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and even Black Lightning (Though, that show doesn't exist in the same world as the others) to fill The CW's lineup of shows. The collective of shows became known as the Arrow-verse and it's been the main programming on The CW's weekly schedule, for the last few years.

As of next year, however, the show that started it all will no longer be part of The CW's lineup...

"This was a difficult decision to come to, but like every hard decision we’ve made for the past seven years, it was with the best interests of Arrow in mind," showrunner Beth Schwartz and executive producers Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim said Wednesday in a joint statement. "We’re heartened by the fact that Arrow has birthed an entire universe of shows that will continue on for many years to come. We’re excited about crafting a conclusion that honors the show, its characters and its legacy and are grateful to all the writers, producers, actors, and — more importantly — the incredible crew that has sustained us and the show for over seven years."

Season 8 of Arrow will serve as the series' final season. It will also wrap-up in a concise 10-episodes, a major departure from the 20+ episodes we usually see in a season. While it is sad to see such a ground-breaking show end, it won't signal the end of DC Comics' live-action programming on the network. If anything, Arrow's end opens a slot for the next confirmed superhero show, Batwoman, led by Ruby Rose. The show is said to be the first comic book show to feature an openly gay character in a leading role.

Arrow ends this fall with the 8th and Final Season. For everyone at Cinelinx, we send a big, heartfelt thanks to the cast and crew of a show that led the way for the rest of the superhero shows on The CW and all other networks and platforms.